The champagne-like bubbles, distinctive hop bouquet, and balanced character of Liberty Ale® revives centuries-old ale brewing traditions that are now more relevant than ever. First introduced in 1975, Liberty Ale® is brewed strictly according to traditional craft brewing methods, and uses only natural ingredients — pale malted barley, fresh whole-cone Cascade hops and a special top-fermenting yeast, and water.

The yeast used during fermentation produces many of Liberty Ale's subtle flavors and characteristics. A natural process called "bunging" creates gentle carbonation, and the practice of dry hopping (adding fresh hops to the brew during aging), revived by Anchor, creates its unique aroma.

Liberty Ale® was first brewed to celebrate the bicentennial of Paul Revere’s historic ride. As the first modern American IPA brewed after prohibition and the first modern American single-hop ale and dry-hopped ale, Anchor’s Liberty Ale® is the original craft brewed ale and the historic beer that started a revolution.

Reviews by Vendetta:

Pours orange with a small white head. Nose of spice. Tastes fair- dry, some hops but nearly as many as I expected. This isn't a great pale ale. This is the second Anchor beer I've had that's disappointed me, I doubt I'll be trying any more of their brews.

More User Reviews:

4.2/5 rDev +8%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep golden/amber color with a nice fruffy head,the aroma is somewhat dry and hoppy with some slight sweetness in the background.The flavor is zesty and citruis-like with a malty sweet lingering backbone but the hop profile is the main taste I got from this brew.A pretty darn good ale even better if your a hophead.

Lovely amber pour with a generous foamy head that doesn't fade too fast.

The nose is nicely hopped and there is the presence of some fruit, possibly sun dried apricot.

The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. Exceptionaly hopped and complimented by a subtle fruitiness (but not sweet), this beer has great balance. Again, i really enjoy the hoppiness and find this beer to have exceptional body. Pleasant, dry, hoppy finish.

A great drinking experience. This is something i would buy again, and highly recommend.

Pours a golden amber hue with a lively head -- well carbonated. Did not smell particularly exciting (perhaps a result of a recent but persistent case of sinusitus -- blech!!). The taste, however, was very pleasing. I could drink a lot of this beer. Hops are in the front row, but nicely balanced by a nutty maltiness. This beer might not have the claim to fame of Anchor's Steam beer, but it is a terrific beer in its own right.

Taste  This has a similar flavor to Anchor Steam Beer. I poured this one right after it for comparison purposes. Theres a noticeable malt taste to compliment the mostly hop body. The citrus flavors come out as well, with a bitter finish tempered with an orange peel.

L: looks amazing! Has a nice apple juice appearance. Its deep amber but not too dark. And its clear with no mirk. When opened there was jsut a hint of smoke. Lacey head, seems to stick as it goes down.

S: Cracked it open and the first thing I noticed after the smoke was "this is that ideal beer smell". In the "this is the smell I smelt in high school and in college, but better". It's not bad as the aroma is spot on perfect for what its going for at the time it was brewed. It's just not "ale" smell. It's definitely an adjunct lager smell.

T: Again, it feels like an ideal product for what it must be going for back in the day. Seriously it makes me feel that they were trying to do an operation of taking the taste of lager into the world of ale [which seems blasphemous today, but what was probably preferred in the day]. Fruitish, caramel, and slight hop dominate front and back on the tongue, and lingers pleasantly on the tongue. As I saw with another review it may have raised an eye brow in the late 70's, but not too par to todays standards. Should it be knocked for that? No. It's Old Gard. It really truly reminds me of PBR that's filtered for impurities. And as a new found lover of PBR for lower end beer, I'm okay with that. It's just not an IPA, not even English. Hell its not even an ESB or Pale Ale.

F: Again, an ideal quality to this. For being as light as it is, its perfect. It's just a tad thicker than water, with a hint of sudsy carb. rather pleasant. The coating is nice, and the lingering taste reminds you "Oh yeah, that hint of alcohol reminds me I am drinking an adult beverage, but the fruity malt sweetness says its wonderfully soothing".

Overall: If like most of us that started with the BMC adjuncts, but has a preferred taste for PBR and its fruity sweetness, you will enjoy this with its "less than insta-hangover" quality. I can see where this was a hit after decades with Bud and Miller. Todays standards, it doesn't seem high quality or over the top. But I can see this as an American style that screams "I'M FUCKING PATRIOTIC AND THIS BEER SAYS 'MURICA!". Though, it's not a Sam Adams.

A: This pours a medium gold with very good clarity. The persistent off-white head of rocky bubble falls to a 1/4 of an inch but is easily roused.

S: Moderate citrus hops and a grassy dry hopped aroma along with a floral alcohol note dominate the aroma. There is a moderately-low biscuity malt aroma with a light note of caramel. There is also a yeast ester of oranges that start very low bt becomes more apparent as it warms.

T: A moderate flavor of citrus hops with a moderate hops bitterness dominate the flavor. The moderately-low malt sweetness has a light caramel flavor. The balance is mostly bitter with a dry finish and a lingering aftertaste of hop bitterness.

M: This is a medium-light bodied beer with moderate carbonation. There is no warmth and a little dry hopped astringency.

O: This is an IPA with American hops with excellent balance of flavor. I generally seek out hoppy IPA but still enjoy this beer from time to time. It's a great example of the style but most would think it's more of an English IPA with American hops.

Taste- For starters, this brew is ludicrously balanced. It makes it very difficult to review becaus the flavors all hit the palate at the same time and meld togther beautifuly. I get a wonderful crisp red apple character, softed by very subtle diacetyl, full bodied, bready malt supports it all and gives the esters a nice home, hops creep in mid-sip and while never forgrounded, leave the final impression with a nice spicy/ juicy, bitterness that lasts into a slightly soapy aftertaste. Lemony taste emerges with warmth. Very interesting and artful interpretation of the style.

MF- Mid-wieght, full and fuzzy. Nice natural carbonation.
Drinakability- Had trouble keeping it in the glass long enough to review it.

A: Poured from bottle into a pint glass producing plentiful white foamy head with good retention and excellent lacing. Color is a dark yellow or light gold.

S: Floral hops - light but predominant. The faintest fresh yeast smell comes in second the the initial bouquet.

T: Very nice initial balance between pale & caramel malts with flavorful hoppy bittering. The finish is tight with a light bitterness.

M&D: Nice medium body and great carbonation creates a feel that is a bit light on the tongue but quite satisfying. Very smooth.

Fantastic brew! The complexity is subtle but is more than meets the eye. Though light in color and texture, the flavors range from light maltiness to light hoppy sharpness in the finish. This goes down so smoothly with such a clean taste that I can see how this could become a favorite. Excellent.

Bottle code "4L7" (although this beer is most definitely not square), which I translate as "July 27, 2004" (don't blame me if I'm wrong). Pours a nice honey color, quite a bit lighter than Steam. Nice rocky head that lasts for quite a while. Smell is a big burst of fruit and pine. Taste is a bit fruity, a bit piney, but with Steam in the background.

Overall, I like this one a bit less than Steam, but this is still a darn good beer.

Nice light yellow orange body with a white head on top which slowly disappeared to a thin layer of bubbles. Aroma is loaded with hops which range from grapefruit to a nice resin pine aroma. Overall very typical hop profile from a west coast pale ale. There is also a nice malty sweet balance. The flavor has less of the grapefruit flavors and more of the pine resin aspect. Finish is slightly bitter. Mouthfeel is medium, not as thick and oily as some, but definitely coats better than others. This is a typical session beer of mine so of course its highly drinkable. Definitely a classic.

Strange aroma. I pick up a hop aroma with a strong field-of-grain scent right behind that. The smell kind of reminds me of some summer ales I've had (Samuel Adams, Mendocino). I feel like the scent of alcohol is also pretty noticeable too, though, which is a turn-off.

Taste is interesting. In ways, the grassy flavors remind me of a macro lager, which is wierd. I would like a bit more hop-kick in the finish, instead of the slight wateryness I pick up.

Mouthfeel is also a bit watery, but satisfying enough.

This beer was decent, but not as good as I expected. If I was choosing an APA, I would definitely opt for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale instead.